Chapter 16 · Blood for the Gate

“Do it, Mara. Kill him, or we all burn.”

Soren’s voice didn’t come from a throat. It vibrated through the metal floor, a cold, synthetic echo that sucked the air right out of my lungs. I was shaking. My boots slid in the grit of the sealed district, and the knife in my hand felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

Cael didn’t even flinch. He was leaned against the shimmering barrier of the gate, chest heaving, blood soaking through the shoulder of his tunic. He looked at me—not with fear, but with a damn exhausted sort of pity.

“He’s right,” Cael rasped. His voice was a wreck, stripped raw by the brand’s activation. “The engine doesn’t take excuses, Mara. It takes a price.”

“Shut up!” I screamed. The sound tore through the cavernous hall. I stepped toward him, blade trembling. “Shut the hell up, Cael!”

“Why?” He let out a dry, hacking laugh that ended in a wince. “You want to save your brother? Then stop pretending you care if I bleed. Just do it.”

I lunged. I didn't stab him—I slammed the knife into the wall beside his head. Steel screeched against plating.